The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1887-02-01
ECONOMIC DIRECTORS.
How the Average Country School Wa
Managed In the Years Gone by.

How the Average Country School Wa
Managed I'm the Years Gone by.
The following amusing story is an
excellent illustration of the difference
between old and new educational
methods and expenditures. 1t also
proves that the boys of the olden times
paid dearly for the things that gave
pleasure. The school board of the
Pine Ridge district had met to discuss
methods of enonomy in conducting
the winter term of school. since it was
evident that the teachers salary of
three dollars and twenty-five cents a
week would exhaust the amount of
cash in the school treasury before the
end of the usual four months term, il
demands were made upon it for Incl
dental expenses.
The teacher being a woman, it had
been the custom of the board to paw a
boy the munificent salary of twenty
cents week for building the fire and
sweeping the house.
Now" said Mr.. Aaron Cratchett.
president Of the board "kaint we de-
wise and construct some means of
savin' the deestrict this here twenty
cents week? Ii mounts to e'namost
four dollars for the term, and we kin
i'll afford to pay it."
"That's so" said Hiram Dillworthy,
solemnly. 'Aint there boys that'd do it
fer say ten cents week. A boy amt
nothin' to do but scratch round little
in the snow and git his wood an
kindlin' out an cut it up, an his fires
goin' in no time"
1--WE ort to be able to find a boy
that'd do it fer the splendid exercise
it'd give him." said Jonas Dill, the
most economical of the trio that
formed the board. How would it do
to have it a rule that the boy that got
there first in the morning had to build
the fire." -....
I'm a leetle afeerd that wouldn't
work." said Mr.. Cratchett. doubtfully. |
'I'm afeerd they wouldn't any of 'em |
be fust to git there" an illogical objec-
ton that seemed to have weight with |
the other members of the board, as |
nothing more was said about this plan. |
well, " said Mr.. Dill. ''why couldn't |
we say that the boy that got the fust |
licken' had so build the fires until |
somebody else got licked, and so on?"
'But what would we do while we
was waitin' fer some boy TO get licked |
in the first placer" said Mr.. Dillworthy, |
with wise forethOught.
1--WE might have it understood tween
us an the teacher that she had TO lick |
some boy the fust day. I'd jess rs
leave as not she'd tan my boy Bill |
down fust day asnot. He never gifts q
lick amiss."
But Mr.. Dillworthy's innocent and
unsuspecting son Bill was saved from
the ''lickin'" proposed by his affec-
tionate father through the medium of a
brilliant thought that struck Mr..
Cratchett.
81 know fist what to do" he said.
"We're goin' to burn white oak wood
this winter, an they amt no ashes
makes as good soft soap as white oak.
And them kind o ashes kin be sold fer
ten cents bushel- i amt no manner
O. doubt we kin git 8 boy who'll build
them fires fer the ashes, gintlemen, fer
the sshes."
'.And it'll be big pay" said Mr..
Dill, in gleeful acquiescence.
$50 it WILL" said Mr., Dillworthy.
I'd take the job myself, or I'd make
my Bill do it, if we hadn't so much
to do this winter"
A boy was found TO do the work for
the compensation named, and only
that boy knows with what pains-taking
care those ashes were garnered away
in barrels that winter, He sold the
ashes. and the next winter he had a
new pair of skates as the result of his
labor.-Youth's Companion.